Circuit class on ice, crew onboard HMS Protector get fit!

Sailors on board Portsmouth based HMS Protector used a rare lull in the ships busy programme to do an hour long workout session.

Crew were lead by the ship's physical training instructor to do squats and press-ups on thick ice in Antarctica.

Crew perform press-ups and squats on thick ice in Antarctica Credit: Royal Navy

The ship is coming to the end of its 'summer season' surveying the waters around Antarctica.

Due to the icy and cold conditions, the crews have to train inside in usually cramped conditions.

Crew being pushed to their limits during their work out Credit: Royal Navy

The Leading Physical Trainer Gareth Smith said, "The ship was surrounded by ice for miles around and the decision was taken to allow people on the ice.

"The idea then struck me: after a month of being crammed in the ship's lower hold, if we'd played football, what prevented me from taking a circuit class? A chilly one, granted but one in unbelievably pure air, with an amazing back drop and without the constraints of space."